Issue 116
July 2014
Fighters Only editor-in-chief Nick Peet on the controversy surrounding the UFC’s fighter seeding system.
Surely it’s time for the UFC to put some clarity behind its much championed rankings system, before the one thing it brought in hoping to create transparency for fans actually ends up becoming one of the most shambolic and manipulated tools in the sport.
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the UFC rankings. How can an athlete be removed from divisional ratings simply because he’s injured or unavailable, when there is a guy still listed who has been out of competition for almost three years? It makes a mockery of the whole thing.
I am a huge fan of Dominick Cruz, and have been ever since he emerged as world champion in the WEC. His relentless and unorthodox striking style was fresh and uncompromising, and for a spell the guy was the best bantamweight on the planet. I’m also a Lakers fan, a Niners fan and a dedicated Liverpool FC supporter.
Like Cruz, all my favorite teams were at one time or another recognized as the very best in the world in their sporting discipline. NBA titles, Super Bowl rings and five European Cups respectively ensured my roster of beloved clubs or franchises at one stage during my adult life reigned supreme. I know that because I enjoyed the good times. But that was then, and this is now.
The pride of LA are crestfallen and rudderless, San Francisco are still rebuilding after a first Super Bowl defeat in 2012, while my beloved mighty Reds have just ended one of their best campaigns in the Premier League era only to finish as runners-up. Not one of my teams could feasibly be accepted as the best in the world, as results simply do not lie. But at least they all competed (except for LA, of course, but that’s another column all together).
Cruz hasn’t even stepped into the Octagon since October 2011. That would be 33 months by July 31st. How can we still consider Cruz, despite his incredible talents, a contender at 135lb when he’s as much a professional fighter as you or I right now?
To put it into a little more context, TJ Dillashaw – the latest challenger contesting Cruz’s old UFC bantamweight world title at UFC 173 in May – wasn’t even signed by the UFC when Cruz last fought. And, little more than 12 months before that, he wasn’t even a professional MMA fighter.
And fellow bantamweight Sergio Pettis, the 20-year-old younger brother of lightweight champion Anthony, actually made his professional MMA debut just a couple of weeks before Cruz’s last fight. And somehow fans are supposed to accept Cruz still has a place in the division?
To make matters worse – much worse, in fact – the UFC has also taken it upon itself to scrap athletes from the rankings at its discretion, a rankings system that is supposed to be tallied purely through the votes of international media members.
Fighters Only turned down the opportunity to take part in the UFC rankings’ voting process in its infant stages, and following recent events, there may be a growing number of media outlets following suit. To remove fighters due to contract disputes or even fight-scuppering injuries is not only wrong, it’s manipulating the system.
The UFC introduced the rankings system for each weight class in order to provide fans with clarity in regards to who is the best in each division within the UFC and also who are the fighters in line for title opportunities. But in using it as a tool to penalize athletes who may not be towing the company line is an abuse of trust and power.
Nate Diaz and TJ Grant were both removed from the lightweight rankings in May, much to the dismay of fans worldwide. Diaz was relieved from his fifth spot at 155lb for delaying signing a new bout agreement, while Grant’s removal was the result of him not fighting for almost a year.
Yet Cruz remains ranked at ninth place at bantamweight. Anderson Silva is still ranked despite ‘retiring’ and then confirming he’s not fighting again until 2015. And Cat Zingano is still ranked as number-one behind champ Ronda Rousey, despite being out for more than 14 months now.
The UFC reserves the right to change the rules and move the goalposts when it so desires, but if the rankings system it champions so much during live broadcasts is going to preserve any credibility at all with fans they have to set down ground rules regarding any circumstances when an athlete should be removed from the listings.
